We live in the world of rapid development and changes: what was a norm twenty years ago became a weird phenomenon nowadays, and vice versa. Critical thinking is the sphere of knowledge which is necessary for every person to preserve his/her viewpoint and not to get lost in such a mess of life. Nevertheless, what we may observe today is a total imposition of ideas, culture, motives, values, etc. on common citizens. Mass culture and mass media have become an illness of the twentieth and twenty first centuries. There are almost no places in the world where one’s mind is not influenced by any product of mass culture. “Every so often we hear or read about oppressive communities within which the thinking of individual members, and particularly of young people, is subjected to high levels of destructive influence and control” (Rudinow and Barry 4). Still, such influence is observed not only as a characteristic of young generation. There are lots of historical examples when reasonable people are being easily convinced by unreasonable statements (Rudinow and Barry 4) which is often proved by TV commercials and other kinds of advertising which force people to consume without thinking.
Critical analysis is not just an ability to find negative or positive, true of false sides of this or that phenomenon. It means to be ready to examine not only somebody’s opinion, but also analyze our own attitudes and evaluations: whether they are reliable, true and objective or they are just products of our subjective but not critical thinking mind. In her work Christine Rose highlights that majority of people cannot objectively analyze products of mass culture. It means that majority of people are easily driven to a certain point of view. Thereby, many people are easily motivated and programmed. Still, it rather difficult to admit that such phenomenon of mass lack of objective analysis skills is an aftereffect of mass culture. In order to prove it, we should not look for some unusual reason. Let us recollect religious beliefs of our forefathers. There were lots of theories. For example, people believed that our planet has a flat form, it stands on three elephants which stand on the turtle. Why did people not think that it could be a mistake? Only some of them were courageous enough to criticize this viewpoint. “Courageous” is the most appropriate word in this case. The thing is that to oppose oneself to the established social principles is to oppose oneself, a little self, to the majority. However, there are lots of mechanisms contemporary mass media “machine” uses to make other people believe it implicitly. Thus, semiotics and its theory of signs is a real godsend for people who promote this or that good within mass culture. In this aspect such process works as association in which bases is interrelation of the signifier with the signified (Chandler). So, what can we see on the TV displays, on “bigboards”, etc? It is very simple: manipulation with visual signs. “And images appeal to emotion—often viscerally so. They claim our attention without uttering a word. They can persuade, repel, or charm us” (Rosen).
The rapid development of mass culture strongly depends on technological advances. Nowadays our consciousness is overfed with mass images. We listen to pop-music compositions on the radio not only at home, but also on the streets nearby various shops, in public transport; pop-songs are used as ring-tones of countless mobile phones; advertising is often accompanied by pop-music. When we go to buy a book to read, we see large stacks, full of unfamiliar books. Basically, the majority of them are labeled as best-sellers. Still, these books are other examples of mass-culture objects. Cinemas demonstrate series of movies, many of which contain nothing but “ready sale” recipe. Advertising is also full of mass-images. The same situation is observed in all other spheres of art. In fact, mass images attract attention and offer people easy-digestible food for thought. Any mass-media product creates an image. Books and song lyrics draw pictures in our minds, which are often accepted without analysis. Still, advertising uses visual images as long as they are the most demonstrative tool of presenting ideas. Mass-images became available tools of people’s entertainment with technological development. The reducing of book prices, appearance of radio, web, PC’s and other technical and electronic tools provided people all over the world with an easy access to mass culture. At the same time, progress allowed mass culture to reach our mind; thereby, it is a double-edged sword.
Still, why do so many people want to be in touch with mass culture products? The process started in times of technological progress and was emphasized by famous Nietzsche’s concept of God’s death (Nietzsche 365). A human lost his/her belief and then sense of technological future has gone. Nowadays, the majority of people do not have any guiding purport of life; still, their lives are restricted by a great number of circumstances. As a child, a person has to study hard in order to get into a good university or college. Then he/she has to do his/her best in order to be given a good diploma and thereby find a well-paid job. Than the necessity to ensure the future of his/her child comes. Many people see nothing in their life besides their work and home duties. Of course, they look for a way out. Thereby, people watch soup operas, reality shows, action movies; they read detectives and fantasy books, edit their photos with Photoshop tools in order to make their lives a little bit brighter. Mass culture provides people with a comfortable way to get a lot of new and bright impressions without thinking.
At the same time, a human has a need to be a part of a group. Mass culture is too huge and overwhelming phenomena to oppose. It scares. People do not want stay outside of the circle; they want to have something to share with their relatives, friends, etc. Critical thinking lays responsibilities, and not all of us are ready to share this burden.
As long as almost each house in our country has an access to the internet, it became a great dump of mental work products. Internet and websites just offer us a place where our may keep information. A website, which won the recognition throughout the country, was YouTube. In fact, such social network as YouTube is only a box for the content we put there. And billions of people laboriously filled it during years of its existence. They transferred into the website video records of their own lives, pieces of their favorite movies, series of photographs and pictures, which they find attractive, songs, etc. Of course, the advertising industry also uses YouTube. Still, it is full of commercial even without any special promotion: people readily upload commercials if they like it.
For example, Christmas Coca-Cola commercials have become almost classical nowadays. they are repeated again and again from year to year, and at present time many people associate Christmas with Coca-Cola. Let us look at the latest commercial of Coca-Cola on YouTube (The Official Coca-Cola Channel). It tells the story of a city which was situated inside a snow globe. Its citizens feel depressed and upset on Christmas night, but when Santa Claus drank Coca-Cola he magically improved the situation. Analyzing this commercial, one may easily understand that Coca-Cola uses eternal values in order to promote its products. Loneliness, routine work, troubles in relationships, monotonous life, and expectation of a miracle forms the basis of the advertising image.
Still, what do we have nowadays? Does the commercial really work? Let us look on the comments to the advertising video on YouTube. Its user GuitarBuddy551 writes: “every time i watch this i feel the spirit of christmas” (The Official Coca-Cola Channel). User alex45047 adds: “It’s Christmas time! I adore Coca Cola commercials, that’s the only thing that always reminds mi on New Year, X-Mas and stuff.. I love it. ^_^” (The Official Coca-Cola Channel).
In fact, the majority of comments are positive, they express love to Coca-Cola commercials. So, the image has already got implanted into the minds of the wide audience. In fact, many people have unconsciously digested the idea, that Coca-Cola is inseparably linked with Christmas, joy and happiness. Many of them will go and buy the drink. Still, there is another connection, which may influence even those, who analytically percept the Coca-Cola promoting company. Each year we watch such commercials on TV, accompanied by the sounds of Christmas bells, with ruddy Santa Clauses, drinking Coca-Cola and wishing good luck to everybody. Reiteration of this phenomenon builds another connection: when we know, that Christmas is coming, we expect for some usual accompanying factors, such as, for example, Coca-Cola commercials. We still think about the drink, and sometimes buy it, if we do not have some particular wishes. The advertising does its business.
Whereas TV commercials are created to make people purchasing promoted products only kids and individuals with immature personalities or infantile people completely believe in advertisings. Though, one can feel certain influence of the promotion company, as it has been described above. Moreover, people are influenced with advertising as long as they want to be influenced and commercial companies support this desire for as this tendency is their sinecure. Still, there are certain groups of people who believe in such commercials lesser than others. Those, who indeed care about their health, usually do not drink sodas as long as they understand that it is harmful for their health. In this case their life principals oppose the influence of a promotion program. Also, there are those people who just know the drink’s formulation and the consequences of its consuming. They may not care about their health so much, but such data can stop many of us from drinking Cola and other soda drinks. Even though, there people who do not think about health matter at all and still withstand such impacts. We may single out two groups of people who may successfully oppose the commercials influence. People with argumentative mind who are used to analyze information they get can resist TV commercials as well as those people who deal with the sphere of linguistic in particular and humanities in general as long as they know how such images function. Also those, who are involved into promotion activities, clearly understand its mechanisms. Still, we live in the society of consumption and it cannot be changed until humans’ minds and life principals remain the same. Speaking about my personal point of view I would like buying things I want to by and sift out unnecessary things. Still, I cannot say, that I am completely free from advertising influence, as well as many other people in our world.
Although we cannot avoid mass culture influence, as long as we face it every day of our life, we still can take some measures in order not to be guided by various controversial offerings, which are often promoted in commercials and other kinds of advertising pieces. The first thing one should do is to think before doing something. First impressions are often deceptive. Moreover, watching commercials, a viewer should remember that the first and main aim of any kind of a commercial is to sell the product. Also, one should remember that he is a person who decides whether to buy a promoted product or not. If he/she does not want to purchase something, he/she should not be confused by such words as “fashionable”, “healthy”, “comfortable”, etc. One may use a simple method which may help him/her not to get confused with the diversity of goods and advertising in a supermarket; a list of necessary goods and products may be very helpful during one’s shopping. Besides, it is rather useful to think, why do you want to purchase this product? If the desire appears only thanks to commercial promotion than you have something to think about.
Works Cited
Chandler, Daniel.Semiotics for Beginners. Aberystwyth University. 2001. Web.
Nietzsche, Friedrich Wilhelm. Thus Spoke Zarathustra. New York: Plain Label Books, 1967. Print.
Rosen, Cristine. “The Image Culture.” The New Atlantis: A Journal of Technology & Society 10 (2005): 27-46. Web.
Rudinow, Joel, and Barry, Vincent. Invitation to Critical Thinking. Stamford: Cengage Learning, 2007. Print.
Site Admin. “Train – Shake Up Christmas”. Web.
The Official Coca-Cola Channel. “Snow Globes – Coca-Cola 2010 Christmas Commercial (long version)”. Web.